US2557517A - Draw closure bag - Google Patents

Description

June 19, 1951 T. M. SCRUGGS DRAW CLOSURE BAG Filed Nov. 3; 1949 Patented June 19, 1951 DRAW CLOSURE BAG Thomas M. Scruggs, Richmond Heights, Mo., as-

signor to Bemis Bro. Bag Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application November 3, 1949, Serial No. 125,270

4 Claims. 1 This .invention relates to draw-closure bags, and more particularly, to bags having a side seam in which the ends of the draw closure are caught.

In the past, difficulty has been experienced in economically securing the ends of a draw cord for a bag, for example, the ends of a draw cord which is interwoven in a Woven open-mesh bag tied, stapled, or anchored with finer stitching. United States Patent No. 2,393,151 shows one solution of the problem upon which the' present invention is an improvement. The present in vention includes among its objects the elimina- 1tion of the expensive extra steps required by the prior constructions as exemplified by said patent.

The draw-closure of the invention generally comprises a length of raw-edged flat, woven narrow fabric which is secured around the mouth of a bag, for example, as by being interwoven in an open-mesh bag. The flat tape presents substantial end areas adapted to be readily caught by stitching at a bag side seam. The tape is made by slitting from fabric sheeting, raveling at the raw edges being preferably minimized by folding along a longitudinal fold line, the folded condition being maintained by interweaving in the bag. Lateral yarns in the tape are spaced apart a relatively greater amount than the longitudinal yarns. to provide a special effect where the tape is caught in the bag side seam. Other features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

' a length of my new woven-in draw tape;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the blank folded and seamed to form an unturned bag;

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the mouth edge portion of a leno-woven bag illustrating the tape;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views illustrating tape folds; and,

Fig. '7 is a much enlarged detail view of a ten sioned draw cord tape per se where intersected by stitching and illustrating certain desirable characteristics, adjacent bag portions being omitted.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown a bag blank I of open-mesh bag material having top and bot-tom selvages 3 and 5. The draw cord I is woven into the bag web adjacent the top selvage 3, being passed over and under several of the picks at a time (Fig. 3). The blank i is folded upon itself along fold line F extending transversely of the draw cord so that opposite side edges I I and draw cord ends I3 are adjacent each other Fig. 2). The side edges and the bottom selvage are seamed by a line of stitching I5, the ends of the draw cord being caught in the stitching. A relatively coarse stitching, such as the chain, stitch, is employed to form a proper cooperation with the relatively loosely woven open-mesh bag fabric. The bag may then be turned as usual so that the seam becomes turned inward.

As shown in Fig. 3, the bag web has a region I! adjacent the top selvage 3 with an element missing from the leno warp I9, thus leaving a space twice the normal width for accommodation of the draw cord. The draw cord I is formed from cotton sheeting which is slit into narrow strips, for example approximately the width of the region I! or twice the normal warp spacing. Inasmuch as the tape extends a width substantially twice the normal interstice 21, there is assurance it will be pierced and securely held by several stitches of the coarse bag stitching required for making the seam.

A single thickness tape of the type shown in Fig. 3 while in many cases practical and economical is objectionable in some instances because of its tendency to unravel at the raw edges 2|. Fig. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the tape strength is increased and the raveling reduced as compared to the Fig. 3 embodiment, without undue increase in cost. A textile strip 23 twice the width of the desired tape is folded upon itself along a central longitudinal fold line throughout its length so that the raw edges 25 are adjacent one another. Thus a double thickness tape of U-shaped cross sec- Fig. 6 form of tape, the marginal edges 32 overlap and extend the full width of the finished tape so that three thicknesses of triple strength are obtained The overlapping variety is desirablefor iarge bags requiring stronger draw cords.

The tape 'is'of a particular woven construction which provides an improved seam at its ends where caught in the relatively coarse stitching of the bagseam. Cloth from which the draw cord is cut preferably has a relatively high num- Eer of strum: (ends) in the warp 33 and a relatively low number of strands (picks) in the filler ll (Fig. 3) .f The cloth is slitted parallel to the warp thereby leaving the closely woven warp extending longitudinally and the looser filler extending transversely. For example, a count of 56 x 18 has been found satisfactory. No. 22 cotton yarn in the warp and No. 17 cotton yarn in the filling affords the desired degree of strength consistent with economy. The tape is made from sized material, the type of the sizing and its application being such as to permit the filling to slip or skid somewhat on the warp under force exerted by the stitching I where it catches the ends of the draw cord.

The seam strain in a single thickness draw cord is illustrated in Fig. '7. The coarse bag-seam stitching ii, for example chain stitching, is in a line transversely across the adjacent end areas I3 of the tape, with stitches passing through the tape at several laterally spaced points. Each stitch span 3! of the seam surrounds a group 39 of longitudinal warp threads 33 of the tape. When tension is applied to the tape and seam, the stitch spans 3! become elongated and grip into bunches the groups 33 of warp threads. The bunching and gripping action of the stitching on the longitudinal threads of the tape tends to resist the tendency of the tape ends under tension to be stripped from the seam stitching.

A small amount of slippage generally occurs,

but it is further resisted by the action of the lateral filler thread of the tape. As the tape ends slip in the stitching, filler threads 4| adjacent to and on the untensioned side of the tape ends are engaged by the stitches passing through the tape and are displaced longitudinally of the tape. The displaced filler threads 4| are shifted longitudinally which shifting tends to preclude progressive individual breakage thereof. Moreover, each displaced filler thread tends to project into and become caught in the bunches 29 of warp threads as at 43, thereby further improving the bunching and gripping action of the stitching on the warp threads. It will be noted that the relatively open spacing of the filler at the seam, resulting from the initial weaving and from slippage permits the warp readily to bunch.

Where a folded tape is employed, bunching of the longitudinal warp threads is further improved, particularly at the folded edge inasmuch as the folded edge portions of the filler threads tend to gather and bunch the warp threads when the former are displaced by the stitching. Also,

each displaced filler thread is engaged at two P ints by any stitch.

From the above it will be clear that one phase of the invention comprises the provision on an open-mesh bag of the class described of an easily made flat tape which is made by slitting from a larger fabric sheet, the resulting raw edges of which may be infolded so as to eliminate or minimize unraveling. The infolded condition is maintained by the fact that the tape is interwoven with the open-mesh fabric. The relatively low-count lateral yarns, as compared to the relatively high-count longitudinal yarns, with maximum economy produce the advantageous seam strain eiiect in connection with the bag seam, as illustrated in Fig. 7.

It will be understood that the bag may be made of material other than the leno weave material illustrated. It is not essential that the bag be made of open-mesh material. The draw tape may be of leno weave material, in which event slippage of the Widely spaced filler strands of the tape on the warp strands is inherently controlled by the nature of the weave, in a manner similar to that in which the sizing on the illustrated plain-weave material controls slippage. If a leno woven tape is used, however, it also may be sized.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a bag having a stitched side seam and an open mouth, a draw-type closure comprising a length of raw-edged woven narrow fabric folded upon itself along a longitudinal fold line throughout its length so that its longitudinal edges are reinforced, said length of narrow folded fabric being interwoven in the bag adjacent its mouth and arranged flatwisc with respzct to the bag with its ends caught in the stitched side seam, the width of the folded length of fabric being such that it is caught by several stitches at the side seam.

2. A bag as set forth in claim 1 wherein the length of fabric is folded upon itself along a central fold line so that its longitudinal margins are adjacent one another to form a V shape.

3. In a bag having a stitched side seam and an open bag mouth, a draw-type closure comprising a length of raw-edged woven narrow fabric, the length of fabric being woven into the bag adjacent its mouth and arranged fiatwise with respect to the bag body with its ends caught in the bag side seam, said length of fabric having a plurality of relatively closely spaced longitudinal yarns and a plurality of relatively widely spaced transverse yarns, the width of said length of fabric being such that it is caught by several stitches of the bag side seam.

4. In a bag having a stitched side seam and an open bag mouth, a draw-type closure comprising a length of raw-edged woven fabric longitudinally folded upon itself along a. longitudinal fold line throughout its length, the folded length of fabric being woven into the bag adjacent its mouth and arranged flatwise with respect to the bag body with its ends caught in the bag side seam, said folded length of fabric having a pluraiity of relatively closely spaced longitudinal yarns and a plurality of relatively widely spaced transverse yarns, the widthof said length of folded fabric being such that it is caught by several stitches of the bag side seam.

THOMAS M. SQRUGGS. REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED sums m'mn'rs

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